These People Are Serious

Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA6) is probably wondering how in the heck he got so lucky as to deserve this.

I received an email from the fellas at the Roanoke Tea Party, with the header reading:

"Roanoke Tea Party to protest Congressman Goodlatte on December 8."

Of course, my first reaction was to wonder what old Bob had done to arouse the ire of the most engaged - and strident - political group in the Commonwealth.

As it turns out he's done ... nothing.

Which, to the Tea Party, is tantamount to (how's that saying go? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem?) being an obstruction to progress.

Here's the rest of the story:

Baby it's cold outside! But don't let that stop you from joining us Wednesday at noon for a protest rally in downtown Roanoke.

The Roanoke Tea Party and the 2nd Tuesday Constitution Group will meet up in front of Congressman Goodlatte's office on December 8 at noon to urge him to vote against the Food Safety Modernization Act (S510), when it comes up for a vote in the House.

Of course the title of the bill sounds so warm and fuzzy, but as always, the devil is in the details. Two particularly egregious aspects of this legislation are a provision to allow the production and distribution of food to be regulated by the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense in the event of an "emergency," and stipulations that even small home gardens comply with federal and international requirements.

It is expected that this legislation, which has passed the US Senate, will be brought up for a vote during the lame duck session in the next two weeks. Congressman Goodlatte has not declared his position on this dangerous enlargement of federal power, and we want to give him a clear statement of our thoughts on Wednesday.

There are many more details about this bill and why we urge opposition to its passage on our web site.

We will assemble at noon on the plaza in front on the Suntrust Building at the corner of Franklin Road and Jefferson Avenue. We'll march around for a bit and then send a group up to the Congressman's office to share our thoughts on this travesty of a bill, and request a statement from his staff.

If you can't join us on Wednesday, won't you call his office in Roanoke sometime that day at 540-857-2672, and politely ask him to vote against S510? [emphasis mine]

So Mr. Goodlatte hasn't declared one way or another on this issue (which really is something to be concerned about - both the issue and Goodlatte's lack of commitment).

But can we not call the gathering today a "protest"?  How about a Wake-Up Call?

In any case, the Roanoke Tea Party hasn't lost any of its drive and ambition since the election.  And that's a good thing.  There's so much work yet to be done.  And so little time ...

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Again, Goodlatte's phone number is 540-857-2672.  I'm sure his local administrative assistant would love to hear from you.